Does anyone know what the venue is like? I see it's General Admission for the most part and I'm just curious how big the venue is and if the VIP tickets are worth it or not. Thanks!
Well I was wondering why the tickets were listed as $73 when I went to buy one just now. That's kind of a ****ty move on their part.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
I won't be able to make the trip, unfortunately, but the star casting sounds great!
I do have questions about who's playing what among the others -- does anyone know? Andrew Kennan-Bolger could probably still get away with Tommy in a staged production, but I assume he's Marcellus? Mary Testa is Mrs. Shinn and Heather MacRae Mrs. Paroo? But if Laura Osnes is Marian, what on earth are Alexandra Silber and Jill Paice doing? They're both great, but there's only one ingenue soprano role in the show -- my wisecrack to myself is that one is Zaneeta and the other Amaryllis, but I suppose in reality they'll be among the Pickalittle ladies? -- Alma and Ethel, for instance.
I was wondering about casting too. Is this a concert production of The Music Man a la Encores, or will this be more like The Transport Group's Baby Concert, where different performers all sang different songs?
The casting would make more sense if it was just different performers singing all the songs, but I would rather a concert version of the show with each performer cast in one role. But I'll take what I can get.
Andrew Keenan Bolger was joking on Facebook about playing Winthrop, but I'm guessing he's really playing Marcellus or Tommy. Though, it is a concert, so maybe he wasn't joking?
I was there, and it was my first exposure to The Music Man (I had heard a 2 songs before, but that's it), and I found it to be a lovely evening. It was a concert, wonderfully hosted by Joe Iconis (who was hilarious), and was basically all the songs, with recapping of plot and also quotes by Meredith Wilson about the creation of the show by Mr. Iconis in between. Highlights included Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana singing "Till There Was You", Santino doing "You Got Trouble", the Barbershop Quartet, the Pick-A-Little-Ladies, and Andrew Keenan Bolger doing "Gary, Indiana". I would love to see Santino and Laura do the full thing together somewhere, I think they would be amazing. Betsy Wolfe and Ann Harada did "Piano Lesson", and towards the last verse Betsy forgot her words and then Ann did as well, and they stopped and started over, but it was hilarious. John Ellison Conlee had some trouble with the lyrics to the beginning of 76 Trombones, but once the choruses started he went smoothly. I thought it was a lovely evening, and so nice to see the actors donate their time to the Transport Group Theatre Company. I look forward to what they do as a concert next year!
I was there too. Music Man was my first ever show...so I loved seeing it again.
Every single person involved with the show donated their time - actors and musicians alike.. and it was a long day and night with rehearsals. There was just one group bow at the end..and you really could barely see who was there and who was not...and so some of the leads were there and some were not. I guess some just wanted to leave..
I believe Laura did an extra song?? because for some reason Jill Paice who was scheduled to be there - was not. Something must have come up last minute...
Laura and Santino are just magic together...still. No one could top them. I did also enjoy Jeffrey Denman who was the choreographer - and played Harold for Marian the Librarian and the Shipoopi where there was some dancing involved. I don't know the name of the dancer that played Marian in these numbers - but I heard her say after the show that she was a very last minute fill in.
Ann Harada was simply hysterical as Mrs. Paroo, Irish accent and all. I personally would have liked to see a real "kid" as Winthrop, but Andrew Keenan Bolger was certainly a popular and funny choice.
I liked the format with the narrator who moved the storyline along...but also told some real anecdotes and histories of what Meredith Wilson was thinking during the making of The Music Man.